


Complications

by UmiHinode



Series: The Story is Eternal [2]
Category: Durarara!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Character Study, F/M, Friendship, One-Sided Attraction, Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-18
Updated: 2018-04-18
Packaged: 2019-04-22 09:40:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,257
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14305944
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/UmiHinode/pseuds/UmiHinode
Summary: She had a bad habit of falling for the ones she could never have.---Can be read as a stand-alone, though probably best enjoyed with the series as a whole.





	Complications

"There's something different about you."

Her sudden observation had noticeably caught him off guard, which only further proved her point. This couldn't have happened three years prior. She couldn't have dreamed of seeing the man in front of her sincerely smile as he asked, "Is that so?"

It had been easy to notice, having spent so much time with him in the past. He didn't talk about what had transpired while he was gone, so she hadn't bothered to bring it up; at least, not with him. On the surface, Orihara Izaya was still the same man. He continued his work as an informant with an almost unhealthy obsession towards humans. He still acted on his own whims, helping others and causing trouble as much as he could, lusting after his desire to see every possible outcome for any possible situation. That being said, he was still, undeniably, a bastard.

Yet something was different. He was more open, more honest. He didn't talk about the aftermath, but not to keep it secret, she could tell that much. To him, there was probably no point in discussing it. She could find her answers elsewhere, as in how his devilish smirks had turned into genuine smiles. Most of the time.

She had no doubt it was because of Heiwajima Shizuo.

At first, it had shocked her. She couldn't begin to fathom how Orihara Izaya, of all people, could change seemingly just like that, and because of his lifelong enemy no less. Not only that, but they were no longer enemies, that was for certain. Izaya couldn't have been keeping secrets if he could be open about that fact.

Strangely, it was that that might have drawn her to him in the first place.

"You're not nearly as bad as you used to be," she clarified, crossing one leg over the other as she nonchalantly sipped her coffee. "I guess almost losing your life finally gave you a modicum of sense."

His eyes widened ever so slightly as she spoke, though he was quick to recover, regaining that perpetual glint of mischief he was known for. "You could say that."

"Heiwajima's turned you soft."

Izaya chuckled. "Perhaps he has." His attention shifted back to the computer in front of him, resuming his work, though he found himself saying, "I didn't think you and Shizu-chan were friends."

Namie shrugged her shoulders. "Who knew he could be full of useful information, despite having even less sense in him than you."

Izaya's hands halted and he glanced over at her, almost pouting in a way. "You wound me, Namie-san, and after I've done so much for you."

"You probably would have charged me outrageously for answers," she replied, simply sipping away at her coffee once more. "Well, perhaps not."

No matter how much about him changed, there were bits of pieces of him she figured she could never forget. She had, after all, convinced herself for the longest time that Izaya had ruined her life. She knew that most of this blame could be placed on Ryuugamine Mikado, not to mention herself, but back then, Izaya had been the root of it all. He had been the reason she had to live her life in fear, hiding from the public eye. She had been forced to work for him in order to ensure her safety. Now, she could work for him of her own volition, though she considered herself even more of a fool now, to  _want_ to work for Orihara Izaya.

Two months prior, she had returned to Ikebukuro out of shame, but now, she supposed she felt free for the first time in years.

At first, she was simply following Seiji and Mika; something she had made a habit out of over the past few years. They, much to her surprise, wanted to return to Ikebukuro. At first, Namie couldn't begin to understand why. Seiji had spent years trying to be with his beloved, and Mika had spent a decent amount of time trying to obtain the head that kept her own beloved at bay. When she questioned Seiji about it, she couldn't have been prepared for his answer.

_"I think I'm in love with Mika."_

Namie had known for years that Seiji could never accept her feelings, not only for their impure nature, but for how he longed for something he could not have, just as she had. Now, after what seemed like a lifetime, everything was changing. Before, she had expected reality to crumble around her. She couldn't accept Seiji's love for the head, therefore she couldn't accept Seiji's love for anyone other than her. Seiji was her world.

But she supposed that, somewhere along the way, perhaps she had changed, too.

_"I'm so happy for you, Seiji."_

She didn't cry. She didn't scream. She simply smiled.

Somewhere inside her she might have known that she wanted to move on, but it took him saying that for her to become cognizant of that fact.

And so she had returned home. Upon doing so, it didn't take her long to learn that Izaya was still alive. Before, she hadn't even realized what he had been scheming. She had been far too busy being abducted by her uncle and Kujiragi Kasane, and rescued, regrettably, by Kishitani Shingen to know. Naturally, she had learned what she had needed to know through Mika.

She hadn't wanted to return to him at first, but life worked in mysterious ways. Namie was a scientist by blood, and she had an innate curiosity for the world around her. That world just so happened to include Orihara Izaya, whether she liked it or not.

_"Why do Shizuo-senpai and Orihara Izaya no longer wish to destroy one another?"_

Upon hearing that, she had to find out more, both about Shizuo and Izaya, and this mysterious woman known only as Varona. She had found herself right back where she started, asking Izaya for information, perhaps against her better judgement, and it had been a downward spiral from there.

At least, that's what it should have been. Instead, it ended up being the exact opposite.

Yagiri Namie was falling for Orihara Izaya. Hard.

She had a bad habit of falling for the ones she could never have.

She had hated him back then, but as she willingly pulled herself back into his life, she had many a realization. Orihara Izaya was a despicable man, but by the same token, Yagiri Namie was a despicable woman. They knew everything there was to know about one another. There were no secrets to be had.

It was complicated, this relationship between the two of them.

At least this time she wasn't stupid enough to think that she had a chance. Izaya could acknowledge her feelings, she could acknowledge her feelings, but neither could accept them.

And she was okay with that. If she could fall out of love with Seiji, something she had deemed impossible, then anything was possible. After all, a certain woman had caught her eye as well, and Izaya wasn't about to let her forget that.

"So, how are things going with Varona?"

Namie managed to laugh at that, smiling to herself. "Alright, I suppose. She's a strange woman."

"So aren't you," Izaya deadpanned. "I don't understand how you're still wearing that atrocious turtleneck of yours."

"You have no right to talk, wearing that disgusting jacket."

Their eyes met, and they might have smiled.

Some things had changed, but in a way, it was if nothing had changed at all.

**Author's Note:**

> If you're here from Life is an Unknown Course, welcome back! If not, welcome to whatever this crazy little series is! Yes, this is out earlier than I planned, surprise! I'm trying out something different with my update schedule. I won't have the time to post this on Friday anyway, so why not?
> 
> Namie's story was originally going to be a part of another multi-chapter fic focused on her and Varona, but I thought it might be easier to release bits and pieces here and there since I have so much I want to explore, so if it feels incomplete right now, that's why. This is pretty short, but I just wanted to set a few things up without burying you all in exposition. If you're feeling confused (most likely because I mentioned something that hasn't been shown yet), don't worry, all will be addressed soon. Call this an experiment in somewhat imitating drrr's style. Any necessary information, like chronological order, connections, etc. will be in the series notes.
> 
> Anyway, one of the things I wanted to explore most was Izaya and Namie's relationship post-aftermath since they only interacted for a second in liauc, so this ended up being written first, even if it only shows bits and pieces.
> 
> Thank you so much for reading! As always, comments are greatly appreciated. And, if you're interested, the next fic in this series will be Shinra-centric, and out next Wednesday!


End file.
